Category Archives: Regulations and regulators

Wall Street Has Been Gambling With Student Loan Debt For Decades

As the student debt crisis continues to mount, major financial institutions are making record profits from student loan asset backed securities.

California Blackout: Turning the Lights Off

So first came the blackout….

Why Have Facebook and Other Tech Giants Gotten Away With Gobbling Up Competitors?

Why have regulators sat pat as Big Tech companies like Facebook and Google have done deals that look like violations of antitrust law?

Drug Watchdog Finds $5.1 Billion in Price Gouging on 9 Drugs

Another indictment of drug pricing.

Climate Change: New York AG Takes Exxon to Trial This Week; Massachusetts Poised to Follow

New York begins climate change trial against Exxon Monday; meanwhile, Massachusetts is readying its own action.

Will the Public End up Paying to Clean up the Fracking Boom?

Justin Mikulka continues his excellent coverage of fracking for DeSmogBlog.

SUVs Are Back, and They’re Spewing a Boggling Amount of Carbon

SUVs illustrate how the US is rejecting greenhouse gas reduction.

Facebook’s Libra Faceplant: Beware of CEO Bright Ideas

Libra is going nowhere fast.

Elizabeth Warren Wants Green Trade Deals. What Does That Mean?

Is what Democratic candidates mean by “green trade deals” what environmentalists and trade experts mean?

Making Profit Should Not Now Be the Primary Goal of a Business: Being Net-Zero Carbon Should Be

Central banker Mark Carney argues for green economy gradual transition, Can’t get too much in the way of almighty profit.

California’s New Transparency Law Reveals Steep Rise In Wholesale Drug Prices

Drug price data in Califorinia shows mind-boggling increases in wholesale prices since 2019. Of course, the industry claims that that information is misleading.

EU Adopts Right to Repair for Household Appliances

European Commission approves right to repair regulations for household appliances: a start, but much less than what’s necessary to reduce waste, combat climate change, and save consumers money.

Unsustainable California: No Easy Remedy for PG&E Blackouts, Fire Risks

California prototypically lead the US. It’s PG&E infrastructure failure and lack of good remedies to escalating wildfire risks are the latest example.

Southwest Pilots Blast Boeing in Suit for Deception and Losses from “Unsafe, Unairworthy” 737 Max

Yet more deserved bad news on the Boeing 737 Max front.

Gene Editing Could Help Save the Planet — If Scientists Can Avoid the Typos

Gene editing does not always work as advertised. And that’s before getting to the fact that genetically modified crops have been found to be less robust than native strains.